


Neutrality

by AkiraMokona



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27778585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkiraMokona/pseuds/AkiraMokona
Summary: You were determined to keep to a low profile. You turned down any promotion that was offered. You did your work and you kept your head down.Most importantly, you didn't take part in any unnecessary fights.Of course, the things you try to avoid most have a tendency to chase after you.Zaraki Kenpachi x Reader
Relationships: Zaraki Kenpachi & You, Zaraki Kenpachi/You
Comments: 7
Kudos: 50





	1. Conflict

_Do not take sides in outside conflict_

With the year coming to a close, a new wave of graduates had poured into the thirteen squads. Of course, the numbers allotted to each squad weren’t exactly even. Every graduate was permitted to choose their top three squads, though the captains would make the final decision to accept someone as a subordinate.

It was well-known that the most popular squads among young women were Squad Five, Squad Six, and Squad Thirteen. The general public had come to the consensus that the captains of those three squads were by far the most attractive. For any student that wanted a handsome man giving them orders, those three locations were considered to be the best options.

Granted, it was often with starry eyes and a high amount of hope that graduates flocked to those three squads. Unranked officers barely saw their captains. Many would meet their captain on their first day, then disappear into crowd. It was a fool’s errand to think that a captain would ever have interest in someone so new and inexperienced.

You sighed, pulling yourself from such thoughts. It wasn’t like you were one of the graduates. Your gaze flickered to the recruits. They had been herded into the barracks by some other members of your squad. It seemed that excitement and nervousness were the two common factors. You draped your wrist over the handle of your sword. Someone had gone to get the captain, but he hadn’t arrived.

You felt the weight of someone staring at you. You found the culprit easily enough. It was one of the graduates; a girl. She looked younger than you had been when you first joined. She smiled and waved. You glanced away. You had hoped that your position off to the side would have prevented anyone from singling you out as a potential mentor. It had worked every other year, but now your strategy was showing some flaws.

The barracks grew quiet, everyone bowing as the captain arrived. A few of the graduates gasped, others whispering nervously. Even the girl that had been staring at you looked rather stunned.

Sajin Komamura easily towered over the rest of the crowd, his face obscured by his helmet.

Once the graduates were given a formal welcome into the squad, they were permitted to do as they pleased. It was already late in the afternoon and Sajin always made an attempt to show generosity to the new squad members.

You left as soon as Sajin dismissed everyone. There were plenty of people to happily act as mentors. You just wanted to get back to work and keep your head down.

“Excuse me!” a voice called out from behind you.

You kept walking. They were likely talking to someone else.

“Hey! Wait up!” the girl from before ran out in front of you, panting slightly. She bowed quickly, “Hello! I’m Chihiro.”

You stared at her for a moment before replying, “_____.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she smiled, “I was wondering, since I’m new, if you would show me the ropes.”

“Recruits are usually tasked with delivering paperwork so they can learn to find their way around,” you explained.

“Right, I’ve studied the map already, but I meant how things are around here.”

“Was Squad Seven your first choice?” you couldn’t help but ask. In the past few years, it had become apparent that most girls who joined the squad did so because their first choice rejected them. You had heard many girls express disappointment in their new captain, given his size and how he kept his appearance a secret.

“Mhm~!” Chihiro nodded, “You’re one big family here. You look out for each other, and Captain Komamura is so nice. I heard that he keeps a pet dog somewhere around here.”

You hesitated. Her answer was unexpected. You wished that Sajin was able to hear such praise himself. You sighed, “I’ll show you around the barracks, but you’ll have your own tasks to complete tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

You began walking again, wondering how you had ended up getting suckered into babysitting.

The next day, you were pleasantly surprised to see that Chihiro was nowhere to be found as you left your room and joined the others in their usual morning routines. You figured that another squad member had given her something to do, leaving you free to continue with your own work without interruption.

In truth, you weren’t opposed to the idea of mentoring someone. If Sajin asked you to take a graduate under your wing and help them ease into the environment, you would happily do so. Your main concern was that you hadn’t entered the squad through normal means, so the graduates would be better off paired with someone else. Of course, there was a bit of selfishness in your opinion on the matter. You wanted to keep your head down, and having a puppy follow you around certainly wouldn’t help.

You had been given orders from Sajin to patrol a section of the Rukongai every few days to make sure that nothing was out of the ordinary. Usually there was nothing there, but the occasional group of Hollows would cause trouble for the surrounding population.

“Hey, newbie,” a voice became audible as you left the barracks, “Deliver these papers for me.”

You turned, heading in the opposite direction. You weren’t about to play the hero when it wasn’t your business, especially when a member of another squad was involved.

“I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m heading the opposite way.”

You stopped. You recognized that voice.

Sure enough, a brief glance revealed that it was Chihiro. She was standing with a stack of paper in her arms, her back pressed against the wall, “And I have orders from Captain Komamura, so-“

“So? You think I care? I have more important things to do than run around carrying dead trees,” a man from Squad Eleven had cornered her, carrying his own set of already crumpled paperwork, “Now get moving, or-“

Against your better judgment, you approached. Your hand moved to your sword, “That’s enough.”

The man turned to you, “Huh? What, you want to make it a party and deliver these with your friend?”

“You have no business near Squad Seven,” you ignored his comment. Given that he was already at the barracks, his paperwork was clearly meant for someone further away, “Leave.”

He scowled, moving away from Chihiro and towards you, “What are you going to do? Just ask nicely? Don’t you know what squad I’m from? You both should be bowing down to me!”

“Clearly you’re a new recruit, if they’re making you deliver paperwork,” you replied, “Or you’re quite low on the ladder.”

His expression darkened, “You should shut that pretty mouth of yours before you get into trouble.”

You didn’t move. Your biting comment had been a mistake. You hadn’t meant to let something so inflammatory slip.

“I think you need to be taught a lesson,” his sword was removed from its sheath, the metal glistening in the morning light. His paperwork was tossed to the ground. Chihiro was still against the wall, watching with wide eyes. She had her own sword, but she couldn’t bring herself to draw it.

The man from Squad Eleven surged forward with a level of speed you hadn’t anticipated, swinging his sword from one side to the other.

You managed to get out of the way in time, the blade singing past your face.

The man staggered, having expected the blow to hit.

A stinging in your cheek caused your jaw to clench. He had cut you. Blood streamed down your face, dripping down onto your uniform.

“Heh,” he readied his sword again, “Maybe I’ll give you a second one to make sure you understand-!”

You moved first. You pulled your sword and scabbard from the sash around your waist. The first blow was to his stomach with the end of the scabbard. The second was to his nose as he crumpled forward with a hand over his abdomen. By the time he hit the ground with a groan, your weapon was already fastened to your waist once more.

You looked to Chihiro, “Are you alright?”

She nodded, “That was…wow.”

“You should get going,” you wiped the blood from your cheek with the back of your hand. The cut was shallow enough that it had already stopped bleeding, “I’ll deal with this.”

“Thank you,” she bowed before running off.

You watched as the man stood and gathered up his paperwork, muttering to himself as he left. His injuries didn’t seem to warrant a visit to Squad Four, so you were fine with him leaving. If anything, his pride had suffered the most damage.

Still, you couldn’t help but sigh. You hoped that, since he had lost, he wouldn’t mention anything to his comrades. The last thing you needed was someone coming after you looking for a fight.

So much for keeping your head down.


	2. Attack

_Do not allow an enemy to attack first_

Your good deed didn’t go unpunished.

Chihiro had interpreted you defending her as a desire to mentor her. As a result, she had begun to follow you around. Thankfully, she still completed her own tasks, but you were beginning to consider the idea of losing her in the streets of the Rukongai.

“How long have you been in Squad Seven?” her arms were clasped behind her back as she walked beside you.

“A while,” you replied. You knew that it was vague, but you weren’t there just to talk about your past.

“Was it your first choice?”

You hesitated. If you told the truth, it would give her more questions than answers. You hadn’t had a choice when it came to joining a squad, but it was better than the alternative. You shook your head, “It doesn’t matter. I’m here now.”

“About yesterday,” she began cautiously, “I feel like I still haven’t repaid you for helping me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I made the choice to step in. It’s my job to defend the other members of Squad Seven from outside threats. I don’t need to be repaid for that.”

“Still,” she grinned, “It was pretty cool. How’s the cut on your-!”

An immense Spiritual Pressure erupted. It weighed down heavily on your body, the walls creaking in protest as the air was displaced and the ground shook. You placed a hand on the wall to stabilize yourself. Chihiro fainted, eyes glazed over.

You tensed. Whoever it was, they had the power of a captain. You couldn’t remember the last time you had felt such a sensation. If an enemy with such strength had managed to get into the Soul Society without any sort of intervention, then countless people were in danger.

You steeled yourself, running out of the barracks. You didn’t draw your sword just yet. You wanted to see just what you were about to fight. Rash decisions would only get you killed.

You made it out of the barracks in less than a minute. The heaviness of the air was suffocating. You had passed several members of Squad Seven that had fainted or were in rough shape. You continued on your way; defending the barracks was your top priority.

As soon as you ran into the street, you skidded to a halt with your hand still grasping your sword.

It wasn’t an enemy.

It was a man with a white haori, the symbol of Squad Eleven on his back.

Kenpachi Zaraki.

“Hm?” he turned, the bells in his hair chiming as he faced you, “You’re the first person I’ve come across that’s still conscious,” his gaze shifted, “What’s with that cut on your face?”

You tensed. Chihiro had insisted on bandaging the cut so it didn’t scar, but you were fine with letting it heal on its own. You ended up having to compromise with some bandages that would simply keep the wound from reopening, but that wasn’t the problem. The man who had cut you was from Squad Eleven, just like the man before you.

A wolfish grin crossed the captain’s features, “One of my guys gave you that, didn’t he?”

You swallowed thickly. His Spiritual Pressure was uncomfortable, but you weren’t intimidated. You were used to standing next to Sajin, after all. Your voice didn’t waver as you finally spoke, “You need to control your Spiritual Pressure. You’re disrupting the work of Squad-“

He vanished from the middle of the road, then reappeared in front of you. He had drawn his sword, holding the blade above his head.

You didn’t bother trying to deflect the blow. Such a swing would go straight through your sword and into your body. You instinctively dove out of the way, stopping further down the road. Despite your speed, you had managed to avoid him by mere inches.

You watched him, cautious. It was likely that he had come for you in order to get some sort of vengeance for his subordinate. Infighting wasn’t encouraged, though the opinion of such a matter in the eyes of Squad Eleven was debatable. Considering that he had attacked you when you were unarmed, you were in deep trouble.

Kenpachi’s attention lingered on his weapon, having only made contact with the air, before shifting to you once more. He gestured to your blade with his own, “Draw your sword.”

You immediately shook your head, “I’m not going to fight you,” such a battle would end very poorly for you, not to mention that the incident from before wasn’t really your fault.

“Too bad,” he strode toward you, readying another strike, “I heard you’d make for a good fight, so that’s what’s going to happen.”

Your eyes widened. He wasn’t even angry about his subordinate. He just wanted to fight.

You didn’t hesitate. You ran in the opposite direction.

By the time you stopped running, you were somewhere in the Rukongai. You had stopped paying attention to the streets ages ago. A few close calls had made you determined to evade your pursuer even if it meant getting hopelessly lost.

You didn’t hear the bells in his hair when you came to a halt. Your heart was beating so loudly that you couldn't really hear anything. You sighed, taking the opportunity to catch your breath as you pressed your hand against the wall behind you. If he ended up finding you again, you weren’t sure how long you could keep running before collapsing. He hadn’t seemed the least bit tired when you had heard him last. If anything, he was enjoying himself.

“Done running?”

You stiffened. The voice was far too close for your liking. Your heart leapt into your throat as you realized that you were standing in the middle of a straight road. There wasn’t supposed to be a wall behind you. You looked to see your hand splayed across Kenpachi’s chest. You immediately withdrew your hand as if you had touched an open flame, heat rising to your cheeks. He clearly wasn’t shy about physical contact.

He smirked, “Stay put this time. I don’t like chasing people around.”

Once again, you ran off as fast as you could.


End file.
